Under Massachusetts law, the Department of Mental Health (DMH) may disclose facility records of a former institutional patient who has been deceased more than 50 years to a person engaged in “academic research.” To qualify as a person engaged in academic research, the requestor must be able to show that they are engaged in research under the auspices of an accredited college or university at the masters or postgraduate academic level.
To obtain facility records for a deceased patient, please complete and sign this attestation form. DMH will review your completed record request form to determine if sufficient information has been provided or if additional verification is required. If your record request is approved, DMH will perform a reasonably diligent search for responsive records to fulfill your request. DMH may or may not find responsive records.
Researchers Seeking More Information: Please note that as an alternative to requesting information using this form, a researcher may request access to current and former DMH patient records by submitting an application to the DMH Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is operated in compliance with applicable state and federal laws. Research is defined in the HIPAA Privacy Rule as “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.” See 45 CFR 164.501. Researchers may also request de-identified information (i.e., redaction of individually identifiable information).